FROM PASTOR RICK’S COMPUTER:
PROUD TO BE A LUTHERAN CHRISTIAN:[1]

On May 18^th, eleven of our youth said they believe in Christ and will stick by him.  As Church, we confirmed their faith. They entered into adulthood as Christians.

This church in which they and we follow Christ is Lutheran: First, we are Christians along with Roman Catholics, Methodists and Pentecostals.  Also, we are Evangelical Lutherans along with those in the Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Synod.

A couple of the teachings that make Lutherans unique include our theology of the cross and the distinction between Law and Gospel.[2]

Theology of the Cross. We believe that Jesus’ cross is the true heart of the gospel. All Christians believe Jesus died for us. Most Christians believe that the cross was in God’s plan. Many Christians believe that the cross was necessary for God to be able to forgive and to save us and the world. We Lutherans say all of these, plus we also say that the cross is the place we meet the living God and the way serve him in this world. This is called the theology of the cross. It is understood over against the theology of glory.

Please think about this carefully. Many Christians believe that first you accept the cross for salvation and then comes the glory. Some see God proving himself through tangible blessings such as miracles, churches growing into huge buildings and budgets and programs, everything always getting better, easier, more comfortable, wealthier, happier. Some say he wants to prove himself through spiritual blessings as you becoming very holy and overcome all your problems, and never have a doubt or a depression or a fear but always joy, peace, happiness, etc. We Lutherans say that the cross is Christ’s way for both our faith and our living. We trust in the Jesus who died (and rose) and we take up the cross, as he commanded, to follow him.

He never sought worldly glory or success; what fame and power he had he used to give himself for others. So do we as his body and individual members of it. The way of the cross is the true heart of the gospel and everything in the Bible comes through it.

The Distinction between Law and Gospel. Law is God’s just demand on us. Gospel is God’s righteous gift to us. 1) Demand-on-us and gift-to-us are not the same things. God’s demand reveals to us the truth about ourselves. God’s gift reveals to us the truth about his grace and forgiveness. We are everyone living under the powers of fate and death, guilt and condemnation; emptiness, meaninglessness and alienation – the powers of sin and chaos. God’s gift is life - abundant, free, purposeful, powerful, reconciled, full, eternal – life through forgiveness in Christ. 2) Law and Gospel are principles not “things.” What I mean is Lutherans do not say that the Old Testament is “law” and the NT is “gospel.” We do not say that the 10 Command-ments are totally “law” and the Sermon on the Mount is totally “gospel.” It depends on how these “things” are used and on how we receive them. If our hearts receive terror before God then that word is law. If our hearts are prompted toward faith or love for Christ then that word is gospel. 3) Both Law and Gospel are God’s Word through which he works. Often we must fear God’s judgment before we are moved to seek his grace. Luther’s explanation of each of the 10 Commandments starts out, “We are to fear and love God so that…” Both fear/law and love/gospel are God’s word, and both are present in the Old and New Testaments. However, the Lord wants our trust in Christ not terror. 4) Some parts of the Bible are more naturally Law or Gospel. For example, Mark 16:16, “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved. Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Part A is more naturally gospel; Part B law. We Lutherans believe that the name of Jesus and the message of the cross are pure gospel and should not be corrupted. Because of Jesus, we believe in Jesus that the gospel is the clear and pure heart of the heavenly Father and faith is the only way to accept him.

Being Lutheran has much more in it than justification by faith alone. The above are two more of our teachings. I may not always teach them in such a formal way, but I hope they seem familiar to you. These can help you and inspire you in your walk. Be proud to be a Lutheran Christian!

AMONG OUR MEMBERS:

CONFIRMATION

May 18^th these youth had their own faith confirmed by the Church. Through the laying on of hands and prayer, we told them that we can see Christ alive in them, they are young adult followers Jesus and partners with us in his work.

Alisha Green, daughter of Jim Green and Susan Anderson
Abbi Pelfrey, daughter of Wade Pelfrey and Laurie Rasmussen
Mark Pelfrey, son of Wade Pelfrey and Laurie Rasmussen
Cara Rohloff, daughter of Mark Rohloff and Amy Rickett
Collan Rosier, son of Loren Rosier
Jordan Sullenberger, son of Tom Sullenberger and Lynne Duram
Sara Sime, daughter of Tim and Teri Sime
Jake Ward, son of Mark and Mitzi Ward
Eric Bock, son of Rich and Kathy Bock
Ashley Erickson, daughter of Orv and Lynne Erickson
Lauren Moran, daughter of Kevin and Sue Moran

They have not graduated. (Parents and other members, neither have you.) Disciples always are learning and growing. Therefore, accept them with your words, expect them to participate, and encourage them with your personal interest. “Keep it real.”  (The “Keep it real” T-shirts they received during the sermon were donated by First Place Sports.  Thanks to Roger Love.)

GRADUATIONS

Roxanne Ramirez, BA from MSU
Alison Stopper, BA from MSU (Ali is entering the Marines this month.)
Sarah (Graeber) Siever, D.O. from MSU (Sarah will be doing residency in Grand Rapids.)

These are the ones that the office is aware of.  Congratulations to each one.

RECOGNITION

Elizabeth Ayoub passed the Bar Exam and was sworn in as lawyer on May 16^th.

NEW ADDRESSES

NEWS AND EVENTS:

EXTRA GIVING HELPS MISSION AND MINISTRY

From our extra Lent Offerings:

$1,076.50 to the Bishop’s Project for Redeemer Church, Lansing, to help pay for their roof and boiler.   $1,116.50 to Dan and Brenda Boerger, support for their mission in the Solomon Islands with Wycliffe Bible Translators. (A bit extra had been designated by an earlier gift.)   $80.00 to Stand with Africa. This was our “quarters only” offering given to Lutheran World Relief (LWR) for AIDS work and to ELCA World Hunger for African hunger projects.

We are blessed to be a part of God’s work in many places. Thanks, Immanuel.

WHAT’S NEW AT CHURCH?

Cabinet for Choir Folders next to the instrument cabinet in Sanctuary. Thanks, Fred G. and an anonymous donor.

BIOGRAPHICAL SCRAPBOOK FORMING

Who is Herb Berner? Who is Flora Griese? These and many others have been important people in our church’s 132-year life. Some folks are writing one or two page biographies of these Immanuel saints. These, along with a photograph, will be collected into a biographical scrapbook so that we today can know them, too.

Do you have someone you would like to write about? Or, are you good at writing? You could interview members to learn about one of our ancestors, then write up their story.

Speak to Eileen LaCombe (627-6270), Marge Galvin (672-7494) or Pastor Rick.

SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE

PICTORIAL DIRECTORY

Outreach has contracted with Lifetouch to do our pictorial directory again.  The dates that pictures will be taken will be Thursday and Friday, August 14 and 15, 2003, 2:30 - 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 16, 2003 9:30 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. & September 3 and 4, 2003, 2:30 - 9:00 p.m. Please note the dates have changed because of a scheduling conflict. Please put those dates in your calendars now so we can hope for 100 % of our membership to have their picture in the directory.  Each member will get a free directory and an 8X10 photograph. If you are interested in helping,  please contact Orv Erickson at 517-645-2865 or e-mail at oerickson@aol.com.

KEY INFORMATION

The Bridgebuilders Communication Team has compiled the following information for our members' use.

SPECIAL SERVICE

Spoke Folk Ministry, July 8, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. 

Spoke Folk Ministry is a group of youth who spend a week biking around Michigan sharing their faith and meeting new friends.  They ask churches for a place to spend the night in exchange they put on a presentation for the community.  

HEALTH NOTES

May is the last full month before the start of summer and usually this means warm temperatures, flowers, and anticipation of days at the pools or beaches.  This spring it also means the institution of the Healthcare Information Privacy Protection Act.

HIPPA has been in the works for the last 10 years.  It was originally presented as a way to protect the confidentiality of mental health patients by the Clinton Administration.  The Bush Administration expanded it to include all of healthcare, and on April 14 of this year it went into effect as federal law.  If you have been to a doctor's office, laboratory facility, hospital, x-ray facility or any other healthcare provider in the last several weeks, you have probably been given a “Notice of Privacy Practices” document of one kind or another.  These facilities are giving you this information to come into compliance with the law.  What does this really mean?  In many cases, your privacy, and how it is protected, will not change very much.  In others it may change a great deal.

How may your health information be used?: Information regarding your health that needs your specific permission before it may be disclosed is any information provided to a family member, friend, another provider, hospitals, clinics and lab and x-ray facilities who may have contact with you.  Information may be given to medical insurance companies to facilitate payment for past, or future, services.  It may be used among your physician’s office staff to determine how to provide better, or more complete, service.

Your information may be used in special situations without your consent: To avoid a serious threat to yourself or to the safety of the public.  To facilitate organ or tissue donations.  If you have been a member of the military, national security or intelligence communities, your health information may be disclosed to government agencies with your consent.  Information regarding workman’s compensation claims may be provided without your consent.  Information pertinent to a lawsuit, or information requested in a subpoena, court order, warrant, summons may be provided.

The New Law also provides the healthcare consumer with rights that they may not have known about, or had, in the past.  You have the right to review your medical records once a year, and receive copies of them.  You have the right to make amendments to your records if you believe the information in them is inaccurate.   You have the right to have an accounting of where your health records, or health information, have been sent.  You have the right to have restrictions on what information may be disclosed, and to whom.  You have the right to request confidential communication from your providers office i.e.: “never leave information on my answering machine”, “always contact me at work”, “always contact me at home”, “never contact a member of my family”, etc.

One of the most pertinent ways the new law applies to our Immanuel Family is, if you are hospitalized and you would like to be visited by Pr. Rick, or another member of the church staff, you or a family member, must make that desire known to the hospital so that when they visit, the hospital staff will let them know where you are.  Without that permission, the hospital will not be able to let anyone know you are even a patient in their facility.

Further information may be obtained from the federal government at: HIPPA-QUESTIONS@list.nih.gov I hope this is helpful and that you will all have to use it as little as possible.

Bob Eichelberger
Health Ministry Committee

TROOP 901 WINS AWARD

At the Michigan Week breakfast, Boy Scout Troop 901, sponsored by Immanuel, was presented with GL Community Spirit Award for 2003. Mentioned was their service with the State Christmas Tree, Oneida Field Market, Kids Day America, and Victorian Days. They also painted the basement of our 501 building, which is where they meet weekly. Accepting the award was Jason Dart, Scoutmaster. “To Scoutmaster Jason Dart and the scouts of Troop 901, we offer our gratitude for the work they have already accomplished,” said Nancy Page in her speech. Mentioned also was James Crabtree who received his Eagle Scout Award on May 17^th at the church. The troop presented the colors at the breakfast.   Way to go, scouts!

“GIVE A BELL” CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF!

The Church Council of Immanuel Lutheran has approved plans to acquire a three-octave set of high-quality, world-renowned Malmark handbells, and establish a handbell choir for its music ministry through the Give-A-Bell campaign.

In the hands of Malmark, raw bronze is transformed into fine musical instruments of beauty and purity of tone.  In the hands of bellringers, that beauty is released to ring out to the praise of God and the inspiration of Mankind.

This program is structured so all members can participate in the starting of the handbell program. The Give-A-Bell program allows donors to honor or memorialize loved ones by making a contribution of one or more bells for the handbell choir.  The bell handle will include a permanent inscription that may include the name & address of our church, the name of the donor or memorial, a special date, or perhaps even a phrase of scripture.  The inscription can be up to 3 lines, and each line can contain up to 30 characters, and will carry a message so succeeding generations will remember the donor of the bell he or she rings during a worship service. If 2 or more families or groups combine to purchase a handbell, a second inscription can be included. 

Our fundraising goal is $8,510.00, which includes all the materials needed to begin ringing (37 handbells, tables, music stands, and music).  This breaks down to a cost of $230.00 per handbell. 

If you are interested in donating the cost of a handbell, please see the poster in the entryway for details.  You may select the handbell of your choice: simply write in your name, and provide a check (made payable to Immanuel Lutheran Church) to the Worship Committee (lower row of mailboxes, center), OR place it in the offering plate, making sure to designate “GIVE A BELL CAMPAIGN.”  You will be contacted later for inscription information.

If $230.00 is not in your budget, but you would like to make a donation toward this purchase, we would gladly accept your contribution (see details above). 

This campaign will close on August 10, 2003, and the handbells will be ordered within one week.  Delivery is anticipated in mid-October 2003, and practice will begin immediately thereafter.  If you have any questions, or are interested in participating in the handbell choir, please contact Barb Paulins at (517) 645-2914. 

In the event we are unable to raise enough money for at least two octaves, your contribution will be refunded shortly after the close of the campaign.

Thank you for your participation.  We look forward to a successful ringing program!

NOTES:

THANK YOUS

The family of Sherie Robertson wishes to thank you for the many thoughts, prayers, and calls of concern during Sherie’s illness and passing.  She went home to be with her Lord on May 5 after a courageous 6-month battle with cancer.  We all were made stronger by your continued support and thoughtfulness.  Thank you and God Bless you.

Max & Kitty Whitney and family

Thank you for all your prayers, cards, and calls following my knee surgery.  I’m walking without assistance and healing quickly.  Thanks, again  

Dave Brown

Thank you for supporting us to send kids to camp by buying the Spartan coupon books or making a donation.  Remember the coupons need to be used by June 29.  Thanks again,

Ruth Buckley and the Elementary Kids.

DAY CAMP 2003 Spiritlife July 14 – July 18 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. held at Fitzgerald Park

Day camp is an opportunity for children who have completed Kindergarten – 5^th grade to learn about Jesus in a fun, relaxed environment.   Children will hear Bible stories, play games, do art and craft projects, sing songs and go on nature hikes.  The cost is $45.00 per child.   We also need volunteers to help at camp and provide snacks and beverages. Registration & Volunteer forms are available in the church entryway or call the church office (627.6310).

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL July 28–August 1 9:00 a.m. –  12:00 noon For children 4 years – completed 5th grade. Registration & Volunteer forms available in the entryway of the church.

CELEBRATIONS:
JUNE BIRTHDAYS

JUNE ANNIVERSARIES

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